Never (A Percico Fanfiction)

Snow, Yahtzee, and Pizza

"Well," Percy demanded, the room dark and damp. "Can you do it?"

Hecate's robed silhouette laughed from across the room, her two pets braying along.

"Of course I can do it, child. But it will cost you."

"I'm not a child anymore," Percy gulped. "What's your price?"

Hecate laughed again; not sinisterly, but more... appreciatively. She drew nearer Percy, stepping into the light.

Nico stepped out of the kitchen at the sound of ice crunching under tires in the driveway. He met his shivering boyfriend at the door, helping him out of his coat and pulling him down for a kiss.

"Miss me?" Percy smiled.

"Always," Nico said.

Percy kicked off his shoes and tugged off his scarf before kissing Nico on the cheek and heading toward the stairs.

"Be right back," he said, and Nico went back into the kitchen. When Percy came back down, he was greeted by a smiling Nico, who held two mugs of cocoa, one of which he handed Percy. The older boy grinned back at him, grabbing onto his free hand and tugging him over to the couch.

"Come warm me up," Percy said, pulling the smaller boy into him. "It's freezing out there." Nico complied easily, snuggling under his boyfriend's arm and kissing the hand that rested on his shoulder.

"I bet," Nico said, sipping his drink. "I'm glad you made it back before the snow set in."

"Yeah," the older agreed, head lolling on top of Nico's. "I hope Hazel and Frank get back soon, too."

Percy clicked on the TV, and the two boys cuddled on the couch for half an hour or so before there was a knock on the door.

Nico stood up to answer it, knocking Percy from the doze he'd sipped into. As Nico pulled the door open, a gust of bitterly cold wind burst into the room, bringing with it a few white flurries of the snow the was soon to come. Outside it were a bag-laden Hazel and Frank, their hair dotted white.

"Brr," Hazel said, shivering as she slipped through the doorway and kissed her brother on the cheek. "It's freezing." Frank nodded his agreeance as he came in behind her, both of them shrugging off their coats and hurrying to their room with the bags before either of the other two had a chance to see their contents.

Nico set to making two more mugs of cocoa, which were ready by the time the pair had come back. Hazel and Frank accepted gratefully, and the four of them sat down in the living room, chatting for a bit, until Percy suggested they play Yahtzee. Nico rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's childishness, but Hazel insisted it'd be fun, so they played anyway.

It was ten in the evening before the group realized they were hungry, as they sat around the game board for what was something around their thirteenth round of Yahtzee, Hazel having won nearly all of them.

A half asleep Nico offered half-heartedly to cook something for them and started to get up from where he leaned on Percy's shoulder, but the larger boy put an arm around him and pulled him right back down, into his lap this time.

"You'll do no such thing, Neeks. We're ordering pizza."

Nico sighed and muttered something, too dazed to even care that he was sitting in Percy's lap in front of the other two as he snuggled into the warmth that was his boyfriend and closed his eyes once more.

"Hey, Frank, do me a favor?" Percy whispered, and tossed him his phone. Frank got the memo, leaving the room to order the pizza. By a quarter to eleven, the doorbell rang. Handing Hazel some money (they'd insisted on paying half of the bill) for the pizza, Percy carried Nico up to bed and tucked him in under the blankets, leaving on the bedside lamp and kissing the boy on the forehead as he tiptoed from the room.

Back downstairs, Hazel and Frank sat at the table, already munching on extra-cheese pizza.

"You two are adorable," Hazel sighed as Percy entered the kitchen. "He's so different with you; so much happier."

Percy smiled as he grabbed a plate and a couple of slices for himself.

"I've never seen him so relaxed, you know?" Frank added. "He's usually so on-guard."

"Yeah," Percy sighed fondly. "It took a long time to get him to open up like that. But he's so worth it."

They sat quietly for a few moments, eating happily.

"He's the best thing that ever happened to me, you know. I thank the gods for him all the time."

Hazel smiled at him.

"That day, in the alley, when he got hurt. It scared me so much. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost him."

"I don't know what any of us would've done," Hazel murmured, placing a light hand over Percy's.

"I'm never letting him get hurt," Percy said, after a few moments. "Never again."

Hazel squeezed his hand before letting go, and they finished their pizza in silence. Frank stood, and yawned.

"Gods, I'm exhausted. I think I'm gonna head to bed," he said, putting his plate in the sink.

"Yeah, me too," Hazel followed, putting her things away, as well.

"Alright," Percy said. "Night, you guys. Sleep well."

"You, too, Percy," Hazel said, and kissed his cheek.

Percy turned as they left the room, putting the soiled dishes into the dishwasher and then heading upstairs to climb into bed with his soundly sleeping Ghost King, who snuggled closer instantly as Percy drifted off to sleep. 

Hey you guys! Miss me? I'm soooooooo sorry it's been so long (two months, wow!). I've just been so busy with school and such. An extra-long chapter today, though, to make up for some of the waiting? Hope you like it!

(And another chapter later today??????? Maybe????????? Hopefully???????)

I'll do my best to work on this more in the coming weeks, and stay tuned for much demigod fluff which is to come.

I love you all, thanks for reading, and be sure to leave me some feedback in the comments (also votes are much appreciated)!

~AGreer